Not new to astronomy but very rusty!

Howdy!
My name is Randy and I was a member here many years ago as MrCoaster. I'm looking to get back into observing so here I am back at Astromart. In 1999 I purchased a Televue Genesis SDF from an Astromart member (15 years ago!). I remember very well. We drove over 900 miles round trip to pick it up. It was an awesome scope that served for many years but I recently sold it before we moved from California to the heart of Texas.

Now I want aperature. I got the fever! Browsing the internet I see that scope prices are much more reasonable now than 15 years ago. I'd love a big dob but a decent SCT might be in my price range. I particular enjoy the moon and planets so the long focal length is very appealling. I'm just starting to do some research so any advice much appreciated!

Cheers!

-Randy

Welcome back, Randy. You'll probably get a wide range of advice, so I'd suggest you find a local astronomy club and take a look through a variety of equipment to see what you like. If you enjoy planets and the moon, aperture isn't really necessary. A nice 3 element APO would do well. What is your budget?

George

Randy Ward said:

Howdy!
My name is Randy and I was a member here many years ago as MrCoaster. I'm looking to get back into observing so here I am back at Astromart. In 1999 I purchased a Televue Genesis SDF from an Astromart member (15 years ago!). I remember very well. We drove over 900 miles round trip to pick it up. It was an awesome scope that served for many years but I recently sold it before we moved from California to the heart of Texas.

Now I want aperature. I got the fever! Browsing the internet I see that scope prices are much more reasonable now than 15 years ago. I'd love a big dob but a decent SCT might be in my price range. I particular enjoy the moon and planets so the long focal length is very appealling. I'm just starting to do some research so any advice much appreciated!

Cheers!

-Randy

Welcome back Randy,

I am biased toward the 8, 9.25 or 10 inch SCT because of the reasonable cost, general purpose versatility and portability. Ask yourself about how cost vs aperature vs portability balance for you. Do you need/want goto ? How heavy of a setup do you want (Fork mounted, a 10 inch SCT is MUCH HEAVIER than an 8 inch SCT) ?

I recently picked up a nice used 8 inch Meade OTA with a Feathertouch Focuser upgrade for a reasonable price here on Astromart and matched it up to a used iOptron German Eq. mount with goto capability for a very reasonable price (less than $999 for both). That makes 2 Meade 8 inch SCTs for me as I've had a Meade LX-10 (fork mounted with only a clock motor) for quite a while that has served well for a low initial cost ($600).

A friend got me started in Astronomy with his 8 inch (which I later bought from him) so he could upgrade to a 10 inch LX-50 Meade (APERATURE FEVER !!!). Some days he regrets the big step up in weight of the 10 inch Fork Mounted LX-50 and wished he had the 8 inch back, but he can see objects I can't because of the extra light gathering capability.

I really like the goto capability that is now available a a much more reasonable cost than only a few years ago. The idea of having a goto mount that can quickly get me to more objects per hour is a big deal for me now.

Some thoughts to consider,

Ed

Randy Ward said:

Howdy!
My name is Randy and I was a member here many years ago as MrCoaster. I'm looking to get back into observing so here I am back at Astromart. In 1999 I purchased a Televue Genesis SDF from an Astromart member (15 years ago!). I remember very well. We drove over 900 miles round trip to pick it up. It was an awesome scope that served for many years but I recently sold it before we moved from California to the heart of Texas.

Now I want aperature. I got the fever! Browsing the internet I see that scope prices are much more reasonable now than 15 years ago. I'd love a big dob but a decent SCT might be in my price range. I particular enjoy the moon and planets so the long focal length is very appealling. I'm just starting to do some research so any advice much appreciated!

Cheers!

-Randy

Best bet? As part of your reintroduction, find and join the nearest club. Don't buy a large scope you have not seen/tried in person. They are much larger than they are in those pretty ads. And, while you might be all gung-ho about setting up a 12-inch SCT to look at the Moon at first, they very well might wear off in a right big hurry. :lol:

Aperture will completely transform Deep Sky, if you would like that. A Dob in the 13.1-16 inch range could fit your budget. And rolling it out of the barn for use would be easy. Little known secret for planets is to just make a cheap off-axis stop for the Dob. I made a 6.5 incher for my 17.5 Dob and the planetary views were magnificent! As good as the best Apos of similar (6-inch) size. Trick is you rotate the stop to find the mirror's best wavefront "sweet-spot" while you are looking through the eyepiece. So you have the best of both worlds: Large aperture for deep-sky AND high-res, unobstructed apo just by plopping on the stop. Bonus: I'd enjoy Saturn with the stop on and then take it off to see all those little moons hovering close around. Tom Dey (Thomas Dey)

Eandy,
If you got a big DOB you could hang a "small" 6" Acro like a Celestron C6R (~$400) on it & still do planetary.



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